Kitchen Organization {Part 1}

A little background here to semi-justify my complete entire house kitchen disarray.

Back in July 2011, we sold our house...in 12 days. We hadn't even started looking yet! We already had a weeks vacation planned so, we were down to just 3 weeks to pack up our house AND find a new one. I was literally throwing things in boxes as fast as I could which, meant little to no rhyme or reason to our move (which by the way, ended up being into my in-laws basement for 3 months, in case you were wondering).

We finally found a home, but it needed A LOT of work - like a lot. Here's a little sneak peek at what my 'dining area' off of the kitchen looked like when we moved in. Prepare yourselves...

I'm not even sure what to say about this. Like, what? Just....*sigh* I don't even know. 

Anyway, the husband could see past it, but I remember nearly hyperventilating when we walked in. It had good bones, but whew, this remodel has been one heckuva project (most of it being while I was pregnant, even better, right?!)

So, in 12 weeks we sold our house, moved in with my in-laws and moved into this house. It was a whirlwind, most of which I have blocked out. After we remodeled the hot mess pictured above, we now have this. And I apologize I don't have a wider shot, but I will after our new table is finished! You may remember this one was infested with beetles. I can't make this stuff up.

(Barnwood Table: Jan 2013 - April 2013. You had a good run. Godspeed.)

We have a corner banquette bench area that is packed with sneaky storage spots and because my office is in the basement, it functions as a makeshift main floor office area. Here's what I started with.

I know, I'm upset about it too. This is how I attempted to function for many months. Sad story, but here's what I did to fix it.

First, I started by taking everything out of the area.

Then I started grouping like with like. The first bench storage area is for kids crafts, but there are so few in there that it all fits in a shoebox. The second one is for the husband's nonsense. Random things I had no clue what they were or what he wanted to do with them, so that's his area. (Fun fact: among one of the many things found was an $1100 check from 2010 he never cashed from our insurance company. WHAT?! Never. again will he be allowed to touch the mail.) The third bench (the one with all the boxes on it) holds all of my organization supplies. I hoard them...and I blame Target.

Now for my favorite part. The little back part with shelves, i.e. my makeshift office area. Ready?

Right?! It makes me giddy just opening the door. Let me breakdown the drawers:

• Bills & Electronics: Most accessed items (stamps, checks, camera, etc.)
• Household Management: Where I put my planner when it's not in use, Bible and journal
• Office Supplies: Washi tape, paper clips, post-its, etc.
• Projects: Where I stash things that we need easy access to, but not on a daily basis

Most of the items I used to organize things within the drawers were from the Target Dollar Spot so it was a super inexpensive project. This paired with my filing system, has made the household run so much more efficiently. No more late bills, searching for important paperwork or project drawings, it's all right there at my fingertips!

Am I the only person that feels they deserve some sort of national recognition when they complete a project like this? 

And in unrelated news, I mentioned back here that we were finishing up the house to put it on the market. I have been so absolutely consumed with project managing and wrangling two wild children that I haven't stepped foot in the box in for-ev-er. It's just not in the cards right now, so I've been exploring at home yoga resources and came across the insanely amazing Kathryn Budig's Yogaglo. I plan on taking it for a spin this week and I'll let you know how it goes. This girl needs some Gate Pose like nobody's business.  

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